From Chioke v. Department of Education of City of New York, 15-cv-01845, 2018 WL 3118268 (E.D.N.Y. June 25, 2018): Chioke argues that the following specific incidents contributed to a hostile work environment: Monheit “requesting she bring in her credentials”; “Monheit commenting on her accent”; her “not being able to take time off to see her…
Read More Accent Comment Did Not Give Rise to Hostile Work EnvironmentIn Adlah v. Emergency Ambulance Services, 17-CV-4688, 2018 WL 3093972 (E.D.N.Y. June 22, 2018), the court held that plaintiff – who worked for defendant as an EMT – pleaded enough facts to support his claims of employment discrimination and hostile work environment under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on the basis…
Read More Lebanese Muslim Plaintiff Plausibly Alleges National Origin and Religion-Based Discrimination and Hostile Work Environment ClaimsSexual harassment cases are fact- and context-specific. There is no “bright line rule” as to when a comment or a touch “cross the line” from non-actionable to actionable. Such claims can be based on comments, physical touching, or some combination of the two. A recent decision, Batten v. Global Contact Services, LLC, 15-cv-2382, 2018 WL…
Read More Sexual Harassment / Hostile Work Environment Based on “Hug” Was Actionable, Court HoldsIn Napoleoni v. NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation et al, 18-cv-2578, 2018 WL 3038502 (E.D.N.Y. June 18, 2018), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s claims of race discrimination, age discrimination, and retaliation. Here is an excerpt from the decision, reflecting the court’s reasoning as to plaintiff’s discrimination claims: The Complaint fails to allege a race or…
Read More Court Dismisses Age/Race Discrimination and Retaliation Claims Against the NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation, DC 37 UnionIn Kobos v. Target Corporation et al, 15–cv-5573, 2018 WL 2943575 (E.D.N.Y. June 12, 2018), the court, inter alia, dismissed plaintiff’s hostile work environment claim. The court explained the legal standard: To establish a claim for a hostile work environment, a plaintiff must show “that the complained of conduct: (1) is objectively severe or pervasive—that…
Read More Hostile Work Environment Claim Dismissed; “Unprofessional” and “Upsetting” Conduct InsufficientIn Whitehurst v. Staten Island University Hospital et al, , 18-cv-1090, 2018 WL 2744710 (E.D.N.Y. June 6, 2018), the court, inter alia, denied plaintiff’s motion to remand her case back to state court. In evaluating plaintiff’s claims of disability discrimination against the Union, the court explained: To make out a claim under either the NYCHRL…
Read More Court: Union’s Decision Not to Pursue Arbitration Not Shown as Being “Because of” Disability (Sleep Apnea)Celebrities – they’re just like us! That is one take-away from a recent Eastern District of New York decision, Jones v. Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., a/k/a Busta Rhymes et al, 16-cv-2194, 2018 WL 2227990 (E.D.N.Y. May 14, 2018) (M.J. Levy). There, plaintiff sued Busta Rhymes and Starbus LLC, alleging “that, while employed by defendants as [Busta]’s…
Read More Court Declines to Adopt “Celebrity Exception” to Public Access to Settlement Agreement in Age Discrimination, Wage Lawsuit Against Busta RhymesIn Famighette v. Joseph Rose and Town of Huntington, 17-cv-2553, 2018 WL 2048371 (E.D.N.Y. May 2, 2018), the court, inter alia,[1]The court also dismissed plaintiff’s gender discrimination/sex stereotyping claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. denied defendant’s motion to dismiss plaintiff’s age discrimination claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act…
Read More Age Discrimination (ADEA) Claim Survives Dismissal; “But For” Causation Need Not Be Established at the Pleading Stage [Famighette v. Joseph Rose and Town of Huntington]A federal (EDNY / Brooklyn) jury recently awarded several employees a collective $5.1 million in damages against a health insurance company that, the plaintiffs claimed, forced them to follow the practices of an obscure religion called “Onionhead.” (I wrote about the lawsuit’s filing here.) The verdict sheet (below) reflects, inter alia, that the jury awarded…
Read More EDNY Jury Awards $5.1M in “Onionhead” Religious Discrimination Case [EEOC v. United Health Programs of America]In A.B. v. Hofstra University, 17-cv-5562, 2018 WL 1935986 (E.D.N.Y., April 24, 2018), an employment discrimination/sexual harassment case, the court considered, and rejected, plaintiff’s request to proceed pseudonymously. The court provides us with an overview of the governing legal standard: Fed. R. Civ. P. 10(a) provides that the “title of [a] complaint must name all…
Read More Employment Discrimination Plaintiff May Not Proceed Pseudonymously, Court Holds [A.B. v. Hofstra University]